


Beauty and the Beastly Ball

by TheDarkStrategist



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance, wing women Ruby and Weiss make an appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-25 12:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18261392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkStrategist/pseuds/TheDarkStrategist
Summary: With the Schnee Charity Ball only days away, Team RWBY and friends are in hasty preparation. Dance lessons, dress shopping, and awkward budding relationships, oh my! Join team RWBY on a three part exploration of the lead up and culmination of the Atlas Ball!





	1. Chapter 1

_This is hopeless._

Weiss watched with horror as Ruby once again tripped over nothing, one of her garnet heels landing on poor Oscar’s toes. He let out a barely restrained yelp, which prompted Ruby to stumble forward into him, almost knocking them both over. Ruby fussed over Oscar like one would over a younger sibling, nervously apologizing for once again stepping on his feet.

Weiss let out a defeated sigh before stepping between the two. “Ruby, this is the fourth time you’ve messed this up. It’s a simple waltz. How is it you can expertly take down a Leviathan but ballroom dancing is your greatest enemy?”

Ruby puffed out her cheeks indignantly, hands on hips. “Because this is unnecessarily complicated! Why does it matter if I can do the perfect Atlesian waltz? It’s not like anyone’s gonna be paying attention to us.”

”Ruby, we’re the guests of honor at the Schnee Charity Ball. All eyes _will_ be on us.”

Ruby frowned at that, her eyes suddenly fixated on the ground. “Oh.”

Oscar put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, an awkward but reassuring smile on his face. “If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re improving a lot! I definitely think we’ll do it right this time around.”

Ruby clapped her hands onto Oscar’s shoulders, startling the young farmhand. “Really?”

Weiss rolled her eyes as she took Ruby and Oscar’s hands and put them in the proper waltz positions. “Oscar, don’t lie to her. She isn’t going to do it right unless she gets proper critique.”

”Hey!”

”But I wasn’t—” Oscar began to stutter before Weiss silenced him with an icy gaze. He stopped talking immediately, his eyes suddenly glued to his shoes.

Weiss’s stern disposition melted a bit when she noticed how anxious she was making Oscar. “I know you meant well.” She spared a glance at Ruby and gave her an apologetic smile. “And to be fair, he isn’t entirely wrong. You _are_ getting better. I mean, you’ve only stepped on his toes twice these last two tries.”

”You’re so mean,” Ruby said, attempting to sound hurt, but Weiss could hear the playful, teasing tone in her voice.

Weiss knew she was being annoyingly neurotic about this ball. In all honesty, she hadn’t wanted to attend in the first place, but Qrow had insisted that they could glean some valuable information about the state of Atlas if they attended, so Weiss has reluctantly accepted the invitations her father had sent them.

She felt like she was walking into a trap, that her father was using this ball as a way to further embarrass her and smear her name as a Schnee. That’s why she was so frantic about showing everyone the proper way to dance among Atlesian high society. She didn’t want to give her father any more ammunition against her. It was unfair to her friends, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. She just wanted to get in, play the part she was meant to play, and then get out.

She was broken out of her thoughts by another startled cry from Oscar and Weiss couldn’t stop herself from growling in frustration.

”Ruby, this is ridiculous!” Weiss said incredulously. “Why can’t you be like Yang and Blake? They’re doing amazing at this!”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on her lips. “You think anyone in this room can do as well as Blake and Yang?”

Weiss glanced over at the aforementioned pair. The two seemed to be in their own little world. It looked natural to see them hold each other, their movements smooth and graceful. They danced like they’d gone through the steps a hundred times. Blake pulled Yang close and smiled, nestling her face next to the blonde’s, whispering so softly that whatever she was saying was lost to the sound of the gentle ballroom music playing in the background. Whatever was said seemed to spark something in Yang, because she wrapped her arms around her partner, spinning her around in pure delight.

Ruby gave Weiss a knowing look and Weiss couldn’t help but smile coyly back. “Ok, fair enough.”

Weiss turned her attention away from the clearly love struck pair in the corner of the room and returned her attention back to her bumbling best friend and her poor victim of a dance partner.

”Alright, let’s start from the top. And a one, two, three!”

* * *

 

Yang was surprised at how natural it felt to have her hands on Blake’s hips. She was nervous, of course. She’d never been this close to Blake. To anyone, really. This was a physical sort of intimacy she’d only dreamed of, so to be this close, to have her hands on someone she loved so dearly, made her feel like she was walking on air. Though, somehow, it also grounded her. She felt at peace, at home.

She shouldn’t have been shocked. Blake was the only person that managed to have that effect on her. 

There was a crescendo in the music, and Yang knew that was the cue that signaled for her to twirl Blake and then pull her back into her embrace. They didn’t even have to exchange words. Blake grabbed one of Yang’s hands and the blonde gently spun her partner before leading her back into her arms. Blake smiled fondly at her and Yang could feel her heart do a waltz of its own.

”Y’know,” Blake said as she wrapped her arms around Yang’s neck, “you’re surprisingly good at this.”

Yang chuckled, her breath tickling Blake’s face. “Did you expect me to be bad at it?”

Blake flushed scarlet and she seemed to stumble over her words when she spoke. “That’s not—this just doesn’t seem like your kind of scene, is what I meant.”

”It isn’t,” Yang admitted as she lead them into the next step of the Atlesian waltz. “My dad taught me the basics. Said that Beacon holds a lot of dances and that it wouldn’t do to have his daughter stumbling around like a headless Grimm.”

Blake giggled at that.

”What about you, Belladonna? I didn’t take you for a ballroom dancer.”

Blake shrugged. “I’m not. But dancing isn’t that far off from fighting. It’s all about making the right moves.”

Yang raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh, really? So this is like a sparring match to you? Who would you say is winning?”

Blake smirked seductively as she ran her hands down Yang’s shoulders, down her torso, her touch settling at her partner’s hips. She slid her hands around Yang’s back, clasping them tightly together. She tugged Yang to her with a gentle sort of purpose, pulling them flush.

Blake could feel Yang’s heartbeat go wild against her own chest. “I’d say I’m the clear winner here. What do you think?”

Yang could barely speak, her mouth dry like a desert. She cleared her throat and ran her thumb quickly across her nose, as if she could somehow wipe away the glowing blush that had painted itself across her face. “I’d be inclined to agree.”

Blake chuckled, amused and elated that she could spark this kind of reaction from her partner. She nestled her face against Yang’s, her breath tickling Yang’s ear.

”I wanted to ask you something,” Blake said, suddenly serious.

The change in demeanor startled Yang and she brought her arms around Blake’s waist protectively. “Everything ok? Is this about what happened in Arg—”

Blake shook her head and all the confidence in Blake’s voice seemed to fade into nervous stuttering. “No, no! It’s nothing that serious!”

Yang let out a relieved sigh. “Ok. You sounded tense there for a second, so I thought—”

”I promise it’s not that serious,” Blake reassured. “I just...well...I guess I’m just nervous.”

Yang gave her a soft but bewildered look. “Why?”

”I don’t know. Just...just hear me out, ok?”

Yang nodded solemnly, her grip on Blake’s waist tightening.

”I know Weiss broke us up into pairs and that you and I are sort of unofficially going to the dance together, but I wanted to, y’know, make it more official.”

”Blake—”

”Please, let me finish or I’m never gonna get this out.” Blake took a deep breath and brought her lips so close to Yang’s ear that Blake could feel her lips brush against it. “Yang Xiao Long, would you go with me to the Schnee Charity Ball?”

Yang pulled back slightly, and for a moment Blake could feel herself panic. Had she misread the signals? Had she crossed some forbidden line?

Her fears were assuaged when she saw Yang’s face. The smile on her face could light an entire city. “Yes! Like a thousand times yes!”

Blake suddenly felt like she was flying, literally and metaphorically, as Yang pulled her into a bear hug and spun her around with unreserved joy. Yang’s enthusiasm was contagious, because Blake couldn’t stop herself from laughing with barely contained happiness. 

She knew all eyes were on them. Weiss and Ruby were giving them knowing looks and Nora looked fit to burst from excitement. Even Jaune, who was quietly sipping on a bottled water, gave them an approving look.

Once upon a time, Blake would’ve been embarrassed about all the attention. But here, now, with Yang pressed tight against her, arms around her waist, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Everything, right here, right now, was perfect.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dress shopping is a bit more complicated than it should be.

“Sis, c’mon, it’s not that bad.”

”I look like an overstuffed cream puff.”

Ruby crossed her arms across her chest, her brow tight with irritation. “Yang, this is the fifth dress you’ve complained about. I’ve already picked mine out! Hurry up and just chose something!”

Yang scowled at her sister as she began peeling the pink, sheer fabric monstrosity off her body. Once it got to her shoulders, the dress seemed to claw into her for dear life, refusing to release its chosen victim. Yang growled irritably, her voice muffled by layers of fabric.

Ruby covered her mouth with a hand, unable to contain her amusement at her poor sister’s predicament.

”Help me!” Yang cried out in distress. Ruby decided to take pity on her and helped her tug the dress off.

Yang popped free, stumbling backwards and crashing into her pile of previously worn dresses. Ruby laughed, the look on her older sister’s face priceless. Yang rolled her eyes and tossed a pair of ballet flats in Ruby’s direction. Ruby simply stepped to the side, avoiding Yang’s weak toss.

”You are being way too difficult about all this,” Ruby commented, one hand on her hip.

Yang shook her head in irritation as she extricated herself from the pile of dresses. “Easy for you to say. All the dresses in this damn store fit you.”

Yang typically prided herself on being the tallest member of team RWBY, but it currently had her at a severe disadvantage, as all the dresses in this godsforsaken store seemed to be size zero and under. Finding a dress that accommodated her broad shoulders or large bust was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Ruby rolled her eyes. “I’ve never seen you this worked up over a dress. What’s gotten into you?”

Yang stared at herself in the full length mirror, quickly fixing her hair before grabbing the next dress on the rack. She held it under her chin, eyeing it warily, wondering if this dress was _also_ going to be too small. “Nothing’s ‘gotten into me’. I just...Blake asked me to this dance and I...”

”Want to impress her on your _date?_ ” Ruby sing-songed.

Yang blushed and threw the dress she was holding at her sister’s face. Ruby laughed as it collided with her. “It’s not a date.”

”No, _of course it isn’t_ ,” Ruby said as she dragged the dress away from her face. “She just asked you to dance with her at one of the premiere events of the season. _Totally platonic._ ”

Yang felt her face growing hotter by the second and suddenly she wished she hadn’t thrown the dress at Ruby simply so she could bury her own face into it. Her little sister was keener about these things than she’d let on, much to Yang’s chagrin.

”Listen, Yang, Blake thinks the world of you. You could show up in a paper bag and she’d be happy.”

”At this rate, that’s what’s going to happen,” Yang half-joked.

Ruby tossed Yang’s dress to the floor, her eyes locked on a button up shirt and waistcoat near the back of the store. She slung an arm around Yang and guided her in the direction she was looking. “Y’know, no one said you _have to_ wear a dress.”

Yang beamed and she pulled Ruby into a playful headlock. “Right you are, little sis. Right you are.”

Yang ran over to the men’s section and grabbed a few suits and waistcoats, infinitely more excited to try on clothes she knew would fit. After going through about six different outfits, Yang decided on a black and gold shimmering waistcoast over a white button up shirt with dark black dress pants. She eyed the purple scarf she’d set on the dressing room bench. Blake had gotten it for her when they’d arrived in Atlas. She grabbed the scarf, and with a little finagling, turned it into an ascot.

Ruby jumped up and down excitedly before throwing her arms around Yang. “Oh my gods, Yang! You look amazing! Blake’s gonna pass out when she sees you!”

Yang ruffled her little sister’s hair, eyeing Ruby with a gentle fondness. “Couldn’t have done it without you.” Yang looked herself over in the mirror once more, a touch of anxiety still evident in her face. “You really think she’ll like it?”

”I know she will.”

* * *

 

“Weiss, I can’t wear this.”

Weiss pouted. “Why not?”

Blake tugged at the edge of the black cocktail dress Weiss had picked out for her. It was cut dangerously short, riding up her thighs every time she so much as breathed. “Because if I wear this, I might as well show up naked.”

”I don’t think Yang would have a problem with that.”

”Weiss!”

Weiss put her hands on her hips defiantly. “What? I don’t get what’s wrong with the dress! You said you wanted to wow Yang, didn’t you?”

Blake narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I meant like ‘wow, she looks beautiful’, not ‘wow, she must go clubbing a lot’.”

Weiss shook her head in exasperation as she strode over to the clothes rack and pulled off a new dress. “You’re overthinking this too much.”

Blake huffed as she shimmied out of the confining cocktail dress, tossing it across the dressing room. “I am not.”

Weiss spared a second to give Blake a skeptical look before handing her the new dress. Blake struggled to get into it at first, as the material seemed to be made out of some sort of stiff leather. After a few moments of fumbling, she managed to get the cursed thing on.

It was a tight, low cut dress that showed off so much cleavage that Blake figured she might as well be shirtless, and a slit ran up the length of it, stopping at the top of her thigh. 

Blake felt even more exposed in this dress than she had in the other one. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover that which was laid bare.

”Weiss, are you trying to whore me out or something?”

Weiss let out a frustrated groan and stared up at the ceiling in defeat. “Are you kidding me? You wore less when you were running around in a crop top!”

”At least I had pants!” Blake bit back. “I move wrong in this and I’ll flash half of Atlas!”

Weiss threw her hands up in the air and then let herself collapse onto the dressing room bench. “I give up. Every dress I’ve picked out for you, you hate. Find your own outfit.”

Blake frowned, upset more with herself than she was with Weiss. She knew that her friend was trying to help. The only reason Weiss had picked these more scandalous dresses was because Blake had been frustrated with how ugly most of the modest options were.

She knew she was being difficult and she appreciated the fact that Weiss had kept her cool for as long as she had. Blake was just so nervous. She wanted tomorrow night to go perfectly. This was her first... _outing_  with Yang and she wanted to make the best impression she could. 

Blake knew she was having first date jitters but that was just it. Was this a date? That had certainly been her intention when she’d asked Yang to go with her. But what if Yang didn’t think that? What if she thought Blake had asked as a friend? Was she getting all dolled up only for her date to think the whole evening was platonic?

But Yang had seemed so happy when she asked. Friends didn’t get excited about waltzing together, right?

Blake shook her head frantically, as if to dislodge the festering nest of questions that seemed to be rattling around in her brain. At this rate, she was going to give herself a panic attack.

Blake scraped the outfit she’d come to the store in off the floor and quickly threw it back on. It was a simple outfit. White t-shirt, black coat with fleece lining, an orange scarf Yang had given her, and a pair of black sweatpants.

”I’m gonna go look around a little more,” Blake said, laying a hand gently on Weiss’s shoulder.

Weiss waved her away dismissively, her eyes ringed with exhaustion. Weiss had been fretting over this ball for days, worried about what trick her father would pull, and the distress it caused her was evident. Blake’s heart ached for the girl and she suddenly felt even worse for giving her such a hard time with the dresses.

Blake searched around the store for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon, appalled by what the Atlesians considered fashionable. It was either sleek, clinically clipped clothes or gaudy disasters that could barely be considered clothing.

There was a shimmer in the corner of the store that caught Blake’s eyes. As she grew closer to it, she saw there was a clearance bin with an array of suits and dresses stuffed inside it. The shimmering fabric that had caught Blake’s attention was buried underneath an assortment of ugly plaid formal wear. She dug her hands into the bin and gently tugged the item of interest until it sprung free.

”Woah,” Blake muttered breathlessly. Why had anyone put _this_ in clearance?

She rushed back to the dressing room, throwing her clothes off so fast that Weiss had jumped in surprise, causing her to fall and tumble to the dressing room floor.

Once Weiss pulled herself off the ground and dusted herself off, she addressed Blake. “What was that about? I haven’t seen you this excited since—”

Whatever Weiss had planned to say died in her throat. The dress Blake had found was _stunning_. It was made of sheer fabric around the shoulders, but the rest of it was made of some type of thicker material. It was flecked with silver and gold. It honestly looked like someone had cut a piece of starlight out of the sky and fashioned it into a dress. Blake looked so beautiful that Weiss could hardly breathe and suddenly she could understand why Yang was so taken with her.

”Ahem, uh, wow,” Weiss finally managed to say. “Blake, you...you look absolutely amazing.”

Blake flushed and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. “Really?” She squinted suspiciously at Weiss. “You aren’t just saying that so we can leave, are you?”

Weiss couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend’s skepticism. “I promise, I mean it. Gods, Yang isn’t going to be able to keep her eyes off you.”

Blake glanced at herself in the mirror, her eyes distant. “You think so? What if she thinks it’s too much?”

Weiss frowned. “You’re doing it again.”

”Doing what again?” Blake asked bewilderedly. 

“Overthinking things. Why are you so nervous about this?”

Blake’s gaze went to her hands, which she had started wringing together unconsciously. “Because I haven’t felt like this about anybody in a long time.” She looked up, her eyes firmly locked on Weiss. “And I want to get it right.”

Weiss smile at her friend softly and wrapped an arm delicately around her shoulder. “Blake, you don’t need to worry about that. Yang cares about you so much. You’re her entire world. No matter how things go, whether it’s treacherous waters or smooth sailing, I know you two will get it right.”

”How do you know that?”

Weiss gave her a coy smirk. “Because I’ve never met two people more in love with each other than you two dolts.”

Blake elbowed Weiss in the ribs goodnaturedly, followed by an embarrassed “shut up”, prompting a laugh from her friend.

”Hey, Weiss?”

”Hmm?”

”Thank you. For everything.”

Weiss gave Blake’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “No problem.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the Atlas ball is finally upon team RWBY and things are escalating quickly.

Nora tapped her foot impatiently, her eyes glued to the pocket watch she’d borrowed from Oscar. The rest of team JNR was settled behind her on the couch, both boys quietly and comfortably reclining behind her. Oscar was in the corner of the living room, eyeing his reflection in the apartment’s television screen. He frowned and after a moment of careful consideration, he readjusted the cravat Qrow had helped him put on.

Nora huffed, tossing Oscar’s pocket watch behind her. Jaune quickly shot up to catch it, his hands fumbling with it. He almost dropped the small copper watch, but he eventually managed to secure it. Jaune pocketed the watch, afraid the old and delicates item would fall to the floor if he left it unattended on the couch.

”What is taking them so long?” Nora complained. She let herself collapse against the couch and then adjusted herself so her head was in Ren’s lap and her legs were slung over Jaune’s. “Weiss crawled up our butts about being ready on time, but they’re still getting ready.”

As if on cue, Weiss and Blake walked through the door, both frazzled, Weiss looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel and Blake looked like she’d rather be anywhere but here.

Nora shot to her feet, accidentally smacking Jaune in the face with her elbow as she got up. She clapped her hands together excitedly before launching herself at Weiss and Blake. She pulled the two girls into a tight embrace, her enthusiasm palpable.

”Oh, you guys look great!” Nora cried as she released her friends from her grip. Nora slid to Blake’s side, elbowing her playfully as she gave her a coy smile. “Especially you. Yang’s one lucky gal.”

Blake’s face went red and her cat ears went flat in embarrassment. “I, um, I don’t know what you’re...” Blake sighed and gave Nora a defeated smile. “Thank you, Nora.”

She simply responded with two thumbs up.

Jaune peered past them, eyes focused on the front door. “Where are Ruby and Yang?”

Weiss crossed her arms, her face stern. “Taking their sweet time getting ready.”

”Hey, some of us like to be fashionably late,” a voice behind her said.

Weiss jumped in surprise, bumping into Blake and nearly knocking her over in the process. Yang and Ruby chuckled, entertained by their teammate’s reaction. Ruby walked past Yang and took a seat on team JNR’s couch. “Yang’s outfit was giving us some trouble. Sorry for the delay.”

”Yeah, sorry, the coat’s buttons were being difficu...”

Yang petered off, her eyes locked on Blake. Blake was similarly speechless, her mouth slightly agape. They had both stunned each other into silence.

It was like the sun meeting the moon, like two universes colliding. Yang saw Blake and thought she looked like the moon and stars, like the night incarnate. Blake saw Yang and thought she looked like the sun peeking over the horizon after a long, dark night, shining bright like a beacon.

They both stepped forward, their eyes still locked on each other.

”You look beautiful,” Yang said breathlessly. She went to grab Blake’s hands and her partner immediately went to meet her, clasping her hands in Yang’s.

Blake beamed at Yang, her grip on her hands tight. “And you look gorgeous.”

Yang’s lips curled up in a smile and, to Blake’s pleasant surprise, she pressed her forehead against her own. “Thank you. Though I have to say, I think you’re looking way more gorgeous than I am.”

Blake pretended to look contemplative before giving Yang a sly smirk. “I’d have to disagree. I think it’s the other way around.”

Yang nuzzled her nose against Blake’s, an action so cute yet intimate that Blake felt like her heart was going to explode. “Guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

”Ah-hem,” a voice croaked.

Yang and Blake pulled their attention away from each other, a difficult task for both of them, and looked towards the owner of the voice, who happened to be a happy yet slightly exasperated Weiss.

”While I'm sure you two lovebirds could sing each other’s praises all day, we’re kind of on a tight schedule here. How about you save the flirting for the dance floor?”

Blake and Yang both flushed crimson as they noticed the crowd around them. Everyone was looking at them with approving smiles, even Oscar, who has only known them for all of a few weeks. Ruby gave them both a thumbs up, which only made their faces grow redder.

They both pulled away from each other somewhat but kept one hand clasped in the other’s. Their gazes found each other again, a silent conversation exchanged between them. Yang eventually tore her eyes away from her partner, a wide grin decorating her face. “We’re ready. Let’s go.”

* * *

“... _And we’d like to welcome our very own Weiss Schnee and her teammates: Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Blake Belladonna!_ ”

Yang didn’t consider herself a shy individual, but she couldn’t help but be nervous at all the eyes that were on her. Some of the crowd eyed her appreciatively, but most of them seemed to look at her with disdain and wrinkled their noses at her.

She frowned. Was it because she had her hair pulled up. Did they not like the fact that she was wearing a waistcoat instead of a dress?

Yang’s left arm began to shake slightly and she cursed under her breath. She didn’t want to let these Atlesian nobles get under her skin, but all the attention on her had her somewhat shaken.

She felt arms wrap around her shaking arm and a warm hand slipped into her own. Yang glanced to her side and saw that Blake had curled herself protectively around Yang’s arm, her eyes narrowed threateningly at the crowd.

Yang couldn’t help but smile and she squeezed Blake’s hand gratefully. “Thanks.”

Blake took her attention off the crowd, and her harsh gaze melted the second her eyes met Yang’s. “No problem.”

The announcer piped up again, his voice full of fake cheer. “We begin tonight with the traditional Atlesian waltz. Once the dancing’s done, we’ll make our way to the art gallery, and then on to the dining room, where Mr. Schnee has decided to hold a feast in honor of his youngest daughter’s return!”

Yang could hear Weiss’s groan of disgust and she glanced over to see Ruby whispering reassurances to her. Weiss gave Ruby a small but appreciative smile before grabbing Jaune by the elbow and dragging him to the dance floor, angrily muttering about how she’d take dancing with “vomit boy” over dining with her father any day. Ruby looked after Weiss worriedly, but her attention was eventually taken by Oscar, who was nervously asking her to dance with him, one gloved hand stretched out toward her. Ruby took pity on him and grabbed his hand, pulling him gently onto the dance floor.

Nora gave Ren a loving look and started to pull him roughly towards the center of the room. He went without resistance, a quiet but adoring look in his eyes.

Blake let go of Yang’s arm, much to the blonde’s dismay. She turned to look at Blake, a question on her tongue. It died on her lips as she saw that her partner had one hand outstretched towards her, her eyes shining happily.

”May I have this dance, Miss Xiao Long?”

Yang took Blake’s hand, the love in her eyes so bright Blake felt like she was standing in front of the sun. “This one and every dance after.”

Blake pulled Yang close, settling one hand tightly against her waist. “I’ll hold you to that.”

When they started to dance, everything else faded into white noise, save for the lilting string quartet playing in the background. There was no awkward fumbling, no nervous jitters. They danced with a sort of natural sure footedness that couldn’t be achieved through practice. They held each other like they were holding the world in their hands.

Yang wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist and Blake returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around Yang’s neck. Blake nestled her face into Yang’s neck before resting her chin on the blonde’s shoulder. Yang sighed peacefully and rubbed her nose gently against Blake’s cheek.

They stayed like that for a while, gently swaying in time with the music. After a long moment, they brought their foreheads together, their eyes roaming the other’s face, searching for something, neither of them knowing what.

Blake’s eyes settled on Yang’s lips and Yang couldn’t help but hold her breathe in anxious anticipation.

”Yang...” Blake said in that soft tone of voice that always made Yang weak in the knees.

”Yeah?” Yang asked, her breath slightly ragged.

”I think we need to talk.”

”I do, too.”

Blake gently pulled Yang away from the dance floor, leading her towards a stained glass door in the corner of the ball room. Blake pushed it open, taking them out onto a balcony that overlooked Atlas’s downtown city center.

Yang took a deep breath, an anxious excitement settling in her stomach. “I think I know what you brought me out here to talk about and I just wanted to let you know I—”

Whatever Yang had been about to say was cut off by Blake pressing her lips roughly against Yang’s. Yang’s heart shot into her throat with surprise and she sloppily reciprocated the kiss, accidentally knocking her nose into Blake’s cheek. Yang could feel Blake giggle against her lips, apparently amused at Yang’s messy yet enthusiastic reciprocation. Yang couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto her face, which prompted Blake to kiss her with even more fervor.

After what felt like an eternity, they pulled away from each other. They were both breathless and a little red, but they were both smiling like they’d just won the lottery.

Blake tucked a lock of her hair behind one ear shyly, an action very much at odds with how confidently she had acted just a minute ago. Her partner gave her a sheepish grin. “Um, sorry about that. I’ve, uh, wanted to do that for a while now.”

Yang pulled Blake flush against her, her gaze full of lovestruck adoration. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m, um, I’m actually glad you did it.”

”Oh, really now?” Blake teased.

”Well, Yeah, who wouldn’t be glad to get kissed by the girl they like?” Yang said, trying to keep her tone casual even though she was the most anxious she’d ever been.

Blake’s eyes went wide and her cat ears shot to attention. “You...you like me?”

Yang couldn’t help but laugh at Blake’s reaction. “I kissed you back, didn’t I?”

Blake flushed. “That you did. I guess I’m just surprised that you said it. I thought we were going to dance around how we felt all night.”

”We, huh?”

Blake giggled. “I kissed you, didn’t I?”

Yang nodded before nuzzling her nose against Blake’s, a gesture which her partner readily returned. “True.” Yang looked pensive for a second before giving Blake a sheepish smile.

”Hey, Blake?”

”Hmm?”

”Is it ok if we kiss again?”

Blake grinned. “Nothing would make me happier.”

They both leaned in, excited anticipation glowing in their eyes. Yang could feel Blake’s heavy breathing against her lips and it made her head spin. Just a bit closer and...

There was a loud crashing noise as stain glass collided with marble, Nora carelessly throwing the door to the balcony wide open. “Yang! Blake! You guys out here? Announcer guy said it was time to go to the next...”

She trailed off when she noticed how close her friends’ faces were to each other. Nora made an almost inhumanly loud squeal, clasping her hands together. 

“Ooooh my gods...!”

Yang and Blake narrowed their eyes angrily. “ _Nora!_ ”

Nora rushed back into the building, running from the girls’ ire. She shouted a hasty “congrats!” over her shoulder, slamming the door closed behind her.

Yang sighed tiredly and Blake shook her head in disbelief. They both looked at each other, and any irritation they had at being interrupted faded away.

”I guess we should head back inside, huh?” Yang said quietly.

Blake leaned forward, giving Yang a soft kiss on the cheek, one hand running absently through her partner’s ponytail. “Probably.”

The two walked hand in hand back into the mansion, contentment radiating off the two in waves. They still had more to talk about, they knew, but now wasn’t it. They were still testing the waters, setting words to feelings. There was no rush though. It was freeing enough that things were out in the open. Now, they could figure out what they meant to each other.

_Together._

 


End file.
